Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Alan Niven: "None of the Band Members Died on My Watch"

ultimate classic rockIn a startling indication of just how crazy things got at the peak of Guns N' Roses' fame, former manager Alan Niven stated in a recent interview that he’s grateful "none of the band members died on my watch."

"That took a lot of effort," Niven explains to Classic Rock magazine while chronicling his efforts to get the musicians free from various drug addictions, "you have to help them fight the battle, but only they can win the war."

He goes on to explain the various tricks he’d employ to get the band into rehab facilities, such as telling Slash he had to come into the office for an interview with a guitar magazine, then whisking him off to Hawaii instead.

The article goes into great detail about the recording of GN'R's twin Use Your Illusion albums back in 1990, a herculean effort made even more difficult by the band’s struggles with drugs and alcohol, adjusting to their new fame and wealth, and living up to expectations in the wake of their 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction.

The pressure led to the departure of drummer Steven Adler, who according to Slash, was not able to pull himself together in time for the recording sessions, "we were resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to do it in the time frame that we needed to get going ... we might fall apart again and take another year to get it together."